Reported missing Dec. 13, 2011, and police said the last call on his cell phone was to 911. Outcome: A few days after he was reported missing, police divers found Senkowski's body in a Mercedes at the bottom of a canal. His death was ruled a suicide by drowning.

Reported missing Dec. 13, 2011, and police said the last call on his cell phone was to 911. Outcome: A few days after he was reported missing, police divers found Senkowski's body in a Mercedes at the bottom of a canal. His death was ruled a suicide by drowning. (Sun Sentinel SoFlaShare)

When children don't come home from school or reliable employees don't show up for work, panicked parents and concerned friends contact law enforcement for help. Usually, the missing are found relatively quickly. After a few days, community concern grows. Here are some of the people who have been the focus of high-profile missing persons cases in South Florida through the years.